Child's Play (We're Not Toys!)
by Nicor Warg-Fyrweorm
Summary: Due to a Space Bridge malfunction, a strange world of massive giants awaits Autobots and Decepticons alike. Now, the displaced Cybertronians need to find a way back to Earth in a planet unwelcome to outsiders. Easier said than done when difference of factions and even time itself are against them...
1. Ready, Set, Go!

They know it's going to be one of the hardest transfers to date, but they can't postpone it.

Shockwave needs the Energon, and he needs it as soon as possible. A couple of well staged Autobot attacks and the usual tasks have drained their reserves fast.

So, to assure their success, Megatron orders the Constructicons to start building the Space Bridge at the _Victory_, so that it's a simple matter of putting the parts together when they arrive at the building site.

And mech, what a building site…

A baseball stadium the day of a game.

As expected, it is _teeming_ with humans.

Fortunately, the Decepticons' plan has been well thought this time, so, by the time the panicked organics have all ran away, they have the Space Bridge ready and calibrating, Astrotrain groaning and chucking down his own Energon as he curses the 'disgusting flesh-bags living everywhere' and his aching struts and engines.

A downside to their plan. After carrying most of the Space Bridge's parts, the Triple Changer's engines will need to cool down before he can ignite them again, as will Ramjet's and Dirge's, the other two that have brought the remaining parts between them.

Thundercracker and Skywarp aren't so bad off, having had to deal with Scavenger and Scrapper each, but they are far too comfortable resting after helping put the machinery together that Megatron doubts anything short of an Autobot gun in their faceplates will get them to react.

Frenzy and Rumble are likewise indisposed, resting in Soundwave's chest compartment, while Laserbeak—

Sends them a message as, from his position flying over the stadium, he sees the Autobots coming through the emergency exit.

And the Space Bridge isn't ready for transport yet.

_Slag._

"Okay, Decepticons. It's our turn at bat," Prime calls as they enter the field and transform, and all purple-branded mechs turn to them—

Or hide behind the Space Bridge, like that slagger of Astrotrain.

Though they _will_ need him later, the Autobots have the advantage here, and, after transporting the cubes to Cybertron, Megatron decides that some fireworks as the Space Bridge explodes will do them good.

The Constructions will whine later about the loss of materials, but, right now, they have another priority.

And so, the fighting begins.

Somehow, Megatron finds himself on top of the Space Bridge, shooting to his spark's delight, when his Second slams into him and sends them both to the ground, just to be tackled into the metallic ring by none other than Prime himself.

Not that it would have usually been a problem, but since Optimus has been the one prepared for it, the Slagmaker is hoisted up and thrown over the Space Bridge's walls like a ball of tinfoil.

"Strike three, Megatron. You're _out_!"

_Ugh, when I get my servos on you, Prime, I'm going to—_

A crash, processor flickering at the impact, and he turns around with optics speckled with static—

_Autobots!_

Trying as best as his recalibrating systems allow, Megatron aims at the red scientist and the black forcefield-maker, and shoots.

And the resulting explosion of whatever they were fiddling with sends him back to the ground and his systems finally go through a full reboot.

When he regains consciousness, he quickly climbs to his pedes, scanning his surroundings—

The Space Bridge's door opens, the scorched earth of the formerly green baseball field the only thing remaining inside.

"No, it can't be! My Energon cubes are gone!" he growls, before focusing on more important matters.

The remaining Autobots are regrouping and running away, no sign of Prime with them.

Well, one small victory.

"Soundwave! Where is my Energon?!"

No answer.

Slowly, Scrapper and Scavenger approach, exchanging wary looks, the Seekers and Astrotrain joining them.

"Soundwave! Starscream!"

Nothing.

"Uh, they were in the Space Bridge," Skywarp answers meekly, fidgeting nervously.

"With Thrust and Ravage," Dirge adds, stepping back as Megatron's optics land on him.

"And Prime, that yellow scout and three more," the Triple Changer points out, but that does nothing to wipe the threatening snarl off their leader's faceplate.

His Second and Third are gone.

"Where?!" he roars, Scrapper immediately rushing to the blown up controls—and Megatron refuses to acknowledge the fusion burns on the bent metal.

"I—I don't know, it's completely scrapped and—oh _slag_ it's going to blow!"

And even as he transforms to get into Skywarp's cockpit, the Constructicons rushing inside Astrotrain's shuttle mode and the rest of Seekers taking flight as Laserbeak joins them, the Slagmaker doesn't stop cursing his luck, his Second's luck, the Autobots and Primus' twisted sense of humor.

"Huh, Sir?" Skywarp's meek voice squeaks through the jet's speakers, and Megatron stops his mental tirade, hoping it's good news.

Annoying as Starscream is, he's _useful_.

"What is it?"

"I know this isn't the best time to say this, but… I can't feel Screamer through the Trine bond. He's… too far."

Megatron doesn't go back to cursing.

He _roars_.

"One plan we have completely well thought out and that we all agree with and it turns like _this_?!"

* * *

**UPDATED 13/03/2017:** Corrected grammar.

* * *

**AN:** No, you're not hallucinating. Yes, it's a new story. _However_, it's finished. Four chapters including the prologue (this one). I'm so proud *tears of joy*

Actually, it's a bit of cheating, since it's supposed to be a rewriting (kinda) of the episode _Child's Play_ from the original cartoon. It was fun to do because of the 'missing scenes' and the fact I'm writing from the characters' point of view (and, _ouch_, how much did things change then...).

There were some things (besides the animation) that bothered me about this chapter, so I tried to correct them. As usual, my own headcanon influences things, like the fact the Decepticons can't fly, only jets/shuttles can (as seen here). As thus, almost nothing belongs to me, up to but not restricted to, sentences, situations and characters.

Have fun! (I did XP)


	2. Hide and Seek

This has to be one of the worst processor-aches Starscream has ever onlined with, but that doesn't mean his battle protocols are offline.

The first thing they point out is that the environment is unknown, neither Earth nor Cybertron.

The next, that there are allies next to him, all of them also rebooting and sitting up.

And the third—well, the rest of his cognitive functions are online by then, so he doesn't shoot the also really obvious enemies with them.

Including Prime himself.

_Just perfect._

Another quick look around as the others calibrate their systems is all he needs to realize there are more important things than giving the Autobots a dose of his null-rays.

"Another Decepticon trick," Prime grumbles, and Starscream immediately turns to fully face him.

"Are your memory banks faulty? _We_ didn't send ourselves here!" he snarls back, gesturing to their surroundings. "Any idea where are we?" he asks, trying to reign on his temper.

"Evidently, the Space Bridge transported us to this alien planet," the larger mech answers, looking around, and the Air Commander crosses his arms against his cockpit with a deadpanned look. "Be very cautious, Autobots."

A startled yelp along some kind of glass-breaking sound makes the Decepticons turn around, where Thrust is moving away from an orange hill—

And the large serpentine creature shooting out of it, arcing down towards the Cybertronian with glowing white optics and sharp denta, red tentacles growing off its helm—

Without a second thought, Starscream aims and fires, and the beast rears back with enough strength to slam its helm against an enormous pillar—

Movement from above catches his attention, but he's too busy avoiding another lurch from the creature to do more than look up—

A yellow silicon-based spherical thing slams into his faceplate, and Starscream crashes to the ground with a grunt, processor frizzing and going through partial rebooting and recalibration at the impact, the attacker moving closer—

And stopping, looking like nothing more than a large yellow ball to his flickering and unfocused optics.

"That sphere… is it mechanical?" the yellow Autobot asks, barely heard through audials filled with clearing white noise, and sees something red approach him and kneel by his side.

_Thrust?_

"I don't think it's even self-motivated," the mech next to him answers, and the Seeker grimaces as he slowly gets to his knees, watching Perceptor wave a servo in front of the ball creature. "Whatever it is, I hope it's friendly," he adds, finally mustering the courage to pat it softly, and its surface bends under the touch like a common, though enormous, earthling rubber ball.

"Really, because it wouldn't have attacked us otherwise," he grumbles, swaying a bit as he tries to get up, balance gyros still not fully calibrated.

A loud screeched roar like diamond on glass-metal barely covering the clanging of metal, immediately followed by the sound of a blaster discharging and an even higher-pitched yip, and they're all tense and battle ready as they turn to—

"Alert, alert! Assistance required!"

Soundwave sounds the most scared, even a bit terrified, that the Air Commander has ever heard him, but with good reason, because there's a _monster_ pursuing him, a large gray beast with plating and fur-like filaments covering it, large yellow optics, sharp denta, and hook-like claws on its six pedes.

"My lasers can stop anything!" Thrust boasts, taking flight and angling to shoot at the beast, but the creature just flinches at the impacts and jumps as it turns onto itself, swiping a paw—

The Conehead avoids the brunt of the hit, but crashes into something at the top of one of the elevations of this _gargantuan_ cave—for there is a ceiling of a paler color than the ground covering them—with a wet sound.

::Starscream, do something! There's a swimming monster in here!:: Thrust sends through comm not a nanoklik later, and, wobbling, the Air Commander gets to his pedes, only to find his flight systems aren't fully rebooted yet.

There's a roar that makes him whip around, optics paling as he sees pale green tentacles catching Ravage and pulling him off the ground, the Cassette's efforts futile as he tries to break free.

And movement brings his attention again to Soundwave, the gray beast once more pursuing him, while the Autobots—

Those slaggers are using the Decepticons' misfortune to put all their Energon cubes in Prime's trailer and drive away!

A more panicked yowl, the Seeker's null-rays warm up—

And he turns his back to the Autobots and shoots at the tentacles immobilizing the Cassette, each flinching back as the energy slams into them, but more taking their place.

"Soundwave, over here!" he calls, still firing, and hoping that one of the two creatures will desist at the sight of the other, and that, together, they'll be able to get rid of the remaining one.

::Thrust, can you fly?:: he sends back, keeping his sensors on the ball-thing sitting innocently at his pedes, not trusting it for a nanoklik.

::This liquid is making it hard for my turbines to ignite, and that beast biting them hasn't _helped_!::

::But can you?::

::Yeah, a burst of them made the creature go away, so I should be able to once they heat up again.::

"Help!" Soundwave shouts, and Starscream turns around just in time to see the gray monster finally catching him, keeping him pressed to the ground under his paws like a pneuma-lion would a retrorat, the terrified Communications Officer struggling with all his might, but to no avail.

_No, no! This isn't how we go down!_

A shadow falls over him, and the Seeker whirls around in surprise, so focused on the tentacle creature, the Cassette Carrier's capture, Thrust's predicament and the ball thing _still_ immobile at his side that he hasn't noticed the new menace's approach—

He can feel his voice box shut down in horror at the _enormous_ being hovering over him, a three-dactyl greenish servo almost over him—

Before he can pull up his null-rays, he finds himself trapped, compressed by the monster's grip as he shrieks and struggles and—

Is unceremoniously released without a warning to crash against a hard crystalline surface wings first.

His whole sensory net is set _ablaze_.

For the second time in the joor, he feels his sensors and flight systems go through reboot, the painless relief only momentary, but more than enough to focus on what is happening again.

Just in time to almost jump out of his armor as something crashes next to him with a mechanical grunt, and if it hadn't been for that sound and the mostly dark blue coloration, Starscream would've shot Soundwave until he had gone gray.

::I'm out! I'm out! Now I only have to—Oof!:: Thrust sends, and, some nanokliks later, they hear him spewing baseless threats before he too is thrown into the bubble-like transparent contraption they're now trapped in.

Soundwave groans as he slowly gets to his knees, big dents and sharp punctures all over his back plating and the back of his legs, while the Conehead grumbles softly, a pale bluish liquid staining him and pedes and lower leg plating indented and scratched deeply by whatever attacked him.

All in all, Starscream is the one in the best—

Something falls on his back, almost sending him down again, and the Air Commander growls and whirls around, easily dislodging the relatively small—oh, Ravage.

The Cassette's plating is scuffed, though not badly bent, and he seems to have no movement impediments as he lands on his pedes and immediately turns to his carrier.

Ready to finally take a look around to see _where_ they are this time, Starscream shrieks, startled, as he is thrown to the ground _again_.

Though, this time, the answer to the quakes is literally staring at them.

A large face the size of their spherical prison, distorted by the bubble's shape, but the enormous yellow optics are easily distinguishable, along the curved and sharp chemoreceptor unit and the antennae on its forehelm, what looks like brown hair covering its helm, and a nail-less dactyl the same green tone as the rest of visible base layer tapping against the outer walls of their prison.

And the tiny satisfied and curious smile that reminds the Decepticon Second of…

_Human children._

"It's a giant organic newspark," he lets out in a mix of surprise and horror, trying to keep from trembling more than the _kid_'s uninterrupted tapping can account for.

And finally, after what feels like an eternity of staring, the being turns to the gray monster crouching next to it, looking at the Decepticons like… well, like a turbofox does a petrorabbit.

If Soundwave shivers and scoots away from that side of the bubble, no one cares to notice.

"Do you like our new toy-many, Nitro?" the alien asks, and Starscream feels almost ready to crash.

They can understand the thing.

They have the language packages to understand the alien, by combining three of the preexisting ones and leaving a bit without equivalent, only the sounds to go by, like the gray monster's designation, but they _can understand_.

Unfortunately, they don't have the means to _speak_.

There are languages the Cybertronian frame can't mimic, their sound-making ability restricted to mechanical or a combination of sounds within a certain spectrum.

But the sounds this creature uses are outside their spectrum, and there's no fragging way they can replicate the pulses they're accompanied by.

So, they can listen, but they can't _communicate_.

Unless…

"Please, tell me that you can record and put together a file using those sounds," he whispers, turning to the Cassette Carrier as the kid embraces its pet.

Soundwave is as startled as the rest of them, clutching Ravage close, but he turns to the Seeker at his voice.

And a servo rests against the cracked glass-metal and bent Cybertonium of his chest compartment, and Starscream knows that's a _no_.

Because even if he could record, there's no way he could play it back, the simple action of opening the compartment or using the systems linked to it creating a risk not only for him, but also for the Cassettes still stored inside.

"Frag."

The pet monster breaks free of the embrace, but while all Decepticons tense, it just sniffs around before moving away from their prison, the curved surface of it blurring whatever it is doing.

But it catches its owner's attention.

"I've had enough of this," Thrust whispers, tense and almost hysterical, as he gets to the open top of their 'jar' with a burst of his turbines.

Unfortunately, that's when the alien sees him and reaches for him—

The Conehead _fires_, and the kid pulls its servo back with an exclamation of pain—but not for long.

"That be-not many nice."

Before Thrust can do more, he is grabbed and, to their horror, is thrown against a wall of what they now realize is a room.

::Thrust! Answer, you glitch!::

::I'm getting out of here!:: the Conehead answers, and the alien quickly moves away, most likely to retrieve the red Seeker.

"Come back here, you-be possession!"

And the two officers exchange a look, and know without need of processor reading capabilities that it is now or never.

Flight systems still calibrating, Starscream takes Ravage and throws him to the rim of their prison exit with the help of a burst of his turbines.

He's ready to grab Soundwave and get them both out, his brief test having demonstrated he should be more than capable of reaching the needed altitude without problem, when their luck betrays them again.

"Nitro, get it!"

Ravage runs.

The gray monster pursues.

Instead of waiting for Starscream's flight systems to be ready, Soundwave activates his sonics.

And, as the glass it resembles, the material conforming their prison stars to resonate.

They can see the alien moving around, hear it talking but unable to understand due to the sounds bouncing off the walls, changing and growing louder as the Cassette Carrier searches for the right wavelength—

And the glass finally breaks, falling like sparkling rain.

Without waiting an instant, the two Decepticons bolt, separating to increase their chances of escape.

There's a whooshing sound followed by what reminds the Seeker of a clap of thunder—

"Catch-posses-you!"

—and, as Starscream dives into the corridors of a large building-like structure—by Cybertronian standards, which means it's most likely a _dollhouse_—the Air Commander knows Soundwave has been caught.

Lowering his fans' output despite the risk of overheating, just in case the pet monster can hear them, he steps further inside his hiding place, not looking away from the entrance.

"Now, where could that wrong-ridicule-looking one be?"

Insulted as he feels, he just snarls silently and moves further inside, rounding a corner—

And finding the Autobots huddled together next to _his_ Energon cubes.

For an instant, he feels like shooting them all to deactivation.

But then, he remembers just where he is, in what situation, and what has happened with his fellow Decepticons.

::Thrust?::

::I'm tied up! That thing tied me with a string so that I could 'fly around all I want'!::

::But are you damaged?:: he asks with impatience clear in his voice, and is answered by a grumble.

::My pride has suffered the worst blow…::

::Ravage?::

::Get me out!:: the Cassette shouts, scared, and the Seeker tenses.

::Where are you?::

::In a cage with some kind of tentacle-faced furry beast! It's chasing me all around!::

::Hold on, I'll be there in an instant,:: he answers before changing frequency. ::Soundwave?::

::Location: Jar filled with toys. Situation: Hiding in alt mode,:: the Cassette Carrier answers, and the Seeker gives a nod to himself at that before putting the comm lines in standby.

Disgusted as he feels with himself, there's only one possible course of action.

"Autobots!" he calls, stepping around the corner, arms lowered so that he's not pointing at them with his null-rays—

He's received with blaster fire, and, yelping in surprise and pain at the shots that manage to land, he automatically returns it.

There's an explosion as the shooting ceases, and he knows his null-ray has slammed into the Energon cubes.

_Just my luck._

The Autobots rush out, carrying some of the surviving ones, and he quickly follows, not willing to give up just yet.

They've been at war for a long time, it's to be expected that he would be shot on sight, but he _really_ needs a truce if they are all to get out.

The Decepticons alone can't deal with such odds, and neither do the Autobots.

But before he can leave the dollhouse, he's thrown on his wings _once more_ by a rush of fire-retardant foam.

This time, the Air Commander has a designation to curse along his bad luck, and he really wishes he'll get a chance to _talk_ with Inferno when this mess is over.

Well, at least the cubes that are still in the building haven't exploded, and those that were ignited have been put out.

So, with sensory net and flight systems calibrating _again_, Starscream pushes pride aside and hopes his pitiful wobbling out of the dollhouse is enough to convince the Autobot slag-heaps that he means them no harm.

_This time_.

Instead, what he gets is a tri-dactyl large organic green servo wrapping around him and lifting him to be face to faceplate with a clearly angered alien kid.

"That was many many bad," the giant admonishes, voice rattling his wings with the close proximity, before the dactyls close over him, forcing him into a curled position and _pressing_ to keep him that way.

Whining in pain at the angle his wings are trying to be bent into, and pushing back against the gargantuan organic, Starscream can't do anything when he's thrown unceremoniously into a box and left in the darkness as the cover closes.

With the foam having cooled his frame, there's no other sound in his new prison than his own whimpers as he straightens his struts and cabling.

::It got me too,:: he sends through open comm some nanokliks later, defeated and annoyed, but too sore to feel true anger.

::I can't keep running forever!:: Ravage sends, more of a whimper than a cry, and the Seeker grimaces, getting to his pedes to search the walls of his box for anything that may be useful.

::Hey, mechs, listen!:: Thrust cuts, urgency clear in his voice.

What follows is a trembling sound, like enormous pede-steps…

And Starscream realizes with a start that it's the Conehead's own audio feed being patched through the comm line, so that they can hear what is going to happen with the Autobots now that they're in the open.

"You saved my arranged-positioned building. Gratitude."

"Oh, you can't be serious…" the Air Commander whispers to himself, though listening attentively as he continues his examination of the box's walls.

"All in the line of duty!" Inferno answers cheerfully, and the Decepticon Second groans, letting his helm fall against his chest plates. "Hey, wait—!"

"Be careful! We are extremely fragile creatures!" Perceptor adds, slightly worried and scared, and Starscream sneers venomously.

They hadn't cared that the Decepticons were as equally 'fragile' when it had been them attracting that pet's attention or being thrown against walls.

::It's caught them! The alien has caught them!:: Thrust exclaims, and the Seeker tenses, listening attentively. ::It's… putting them on some kind of table?::

"My name is Aron. What are you?"

"I can't believe it's being nice to those Autoscum!" Starscream shrieks, punching the wall without any results. "Can't it see we're the same?!"

"We're Autobots. Autobots," Prime answers, repeating their faction's name more slowly and clearly, obviously hoping for some kind of understanding.

"Abbots? That-be what you are?"

"Yes, Autobots."

"Abbots."

"Autobots. And those are Decepticons," Prime adds with such darkness when speaking the purple-marked mechs' designation, that the Air Commander knows that, if the alien wasn't convinced before that they were 'many many bad', it will be now. "Decepticons. Be careful with them."

"Ections? Oh, Ections! The bad one-many are Ections."

::That's bad for us, isn't it?::

::Let's hope it doesn't mean it'll be _worse_, Thrust.::

"Aron!" a new voice calls, sounding kind of 'nasal', to use a human expression.

"Aron!" a second exclaims, worried and more soft and melodic. "You-be not playing with pyro, are you?"

"Not me, Birth-Giver. It was the Ections."

::Did it just set its creators loose on us?!:: the Conehead squeaks, fearful, and Starscream has to suppress a shiver at just imagining their size and strength.

::Keep calm, Thrust,:: is the only thing he can answer, tensing and double-checking his null-rays, turbines and flight systems.

"Are-be-negative you a small old to make up unreal thing-many like this?" the first voice asks, a bit tired, and the Seeker hopes, for just a moment—

"I do-negative make letter-consonant-M up! Look!"

::It's coming for me!:: Ravage calls, distressed, and the Air Commander tenses, wings trembling.

"Get away from me!" the Cassette roars, audible through Thrust's feed and the comm, but the Decepticons know it'll be nothing but growling to the aliens.

The shriek that answers that is more than enough confirmation.

"Go away that sickening-detestable creature!" the second voice squeals, disgust clear in it.

"There-be many!" the kid answers, and the Second in Command starts to feel the cold grip of fear tightening around his motor controls.

::Aw, slag, they're coming for me now!:: Thrust whimpers, and Starscream reaches up to see if he can open the lid, but he can't even touch it.

"This one was a machine resembling person, but it converted into a flat surface-flying craft."

::I'm going to _vaporize_ these things!::

::Thrust, _wait_—::

"Do-be-you see? Now it-be machine resembling person again!"

::Holy Primus, they're bigger than…:: the Conehead whispers, trailing off now that his optics are giving him the information the rest of his scans couldn't provide.

"Be-negative that first-rate, Seed-Giver? They _all_ can do that!" the kid adds cheerfully, and Thurst's curses fill the comm.

::They've grabbed me! It's grabbed me!::

::Be quiet!:: Starscream shouts, null-rays so charged that they're starting to light the box, empty but for himself.

"That-be adequate, Descendant, but, ah… we better store-discard before—" the first voice answers, clearly nervous, as the walls to the Decepticon Second's cage start to vibrate, and red optics pale in realization before he sets them to a brighter light input, hoping he's not wrong—

The lid is pulled back, his visual settings allowing him to see the even larger green face with marked optical ridges, skin flaps hanging down the sides of the face and hairy tails framing the mouth and rising from the top of the head, and Starscream discharges his null-rays right on its curved sharp nose.

What he didn't count on, though, was the box being thrown aside so violently, but Starscream isn't a Seeker for nothing.

A brief burst of his turbines, and he lands safely on the floor, Thrust and Ravage by his sides, before they scatter.

The new aliens are indeed extremely large, but that means that while flying may put them in closer grabbing range of their longer arms, running will put them _away_ from those very same hands.

"Do-negative allow them to escape!" the furry one exclaims, and, despite his best efforts, Starscream finds himself herded to a corner with his two fellow escapees.

"There they go!"

"Come back here!"

They scurry around as much as they can, the Fliers sometimes aiding themselves with bursts of their turbines while Ravage tries to pry open what looks like a ventilation shaft's cover.

But they're tired, damaged, even though not seriously, and this situation is making their systems run too hot and fast for their own good.

Eventually, they're caught, and pressed together in the unrelenting grasp of the furrier creature.

"There, got letter-consonant-M!"

And, without a chance to do more than squirm and wince at plating and extremities bending the way they shouldn't, they are dumped into Starscream's box once more, the lid closing even before they crash to the bottom.

::Query: Situation.::

::Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you got yourself deactivated,:: the Air Commander hisses, moving from under the other two and grimacing at his bent struts and over-tensed cabling. ::We're all captured, put in the same box by the alien's creators. You?::

::Trapped—Correction: On servo.::

::Don't try anything—:: he tries to warn, but the box moves, the Cybertronian crashing against a wall with startled and pained yelps, before he gets the chance.

"Ow, it bit me!" one of the aliens exclaims, making the Decepticons exchange a look at that, as the words, easily heard even without anyone patching them through comm, are easily deciphered.

They try to stand up, but their prison moves once more, throwing them to the ground again, and then they're flooded by light and—

Starscream yelps even more harshly that time, his over-sensitized wings burning as if struck by lightning at the sudden impact of Soundwave landing on top of their pile before the lid closes and darkness covers them once more.

"Apologies," the Cassette Carrier drones, moving off the other three, and, slowly, they disentangle and get to their knees.

"No need to—"

And the box starts shaking.

Again.

And throwing them to the walls.

Again.

And against each other.

Again.

On a pile once more, they decide, of mutual accord and without exchanging a word, to stay still and try to grab onto the floor as if they were magnetized to it.

When the box rattles with a startled shriek, their efforts are proven in vain as they slam against limbs and hard surfaces.

Again.

"And the plan had been going so well…" Starscream moans from the twisted position between his equally jostled fellow Decepticons, and there are affirmative groans all around.

* * *

**UPDATED 13/03/2017:** Corrected grammar.

* * *

**AN:** And we get to the first point that left me confused in the chapter: Communication. I understand that, as a cartoon, they made everyone speak the same language and understand each other effortlessly, but it was a very big 'no, no'. And, as thus, the story has changed: Since the Autobots can't really speak, they're nothing more than cool toys, or even pets, to Aron. Oh, my...

Also, the ball that slammed into Starscream is a marble here, because I don't understand why there would be several soccer ball-sized spheres on a table.

I'm naming the chapters after traditional children's games, according to what happens in them. Do I need to explain 'Hide and Seek' and the reasoning for using it this time?

Questions are welcome and will be answered as soon as possible.


	3. Playing Doctor

The box is quiet. Still.

The Decepticons do _not_ like it.

Actually, yes, they do, because that means there's no more being thrown to the walls, but that also means the aliens are planning something.

They tried to open the lid, but it's either locked shut or has something really heavy on it, so it didn't even bulge.

So now, they're using the chance and what little tools they have to take care of themselves.

Starscream's welder isn't the best medical grade, but it's more than enough.

However, without the medical codes, there's only so much dialing down of his sensors that Soundwave can do.

Ravage is lying in front of him, nuzzling his tightly pressed shivering fists with his snout, while the Seeker kneels by his side, bending the metal the pet monster pierced back into its somewhat proper place before soldering it.

Thrust, last he saw before he offlined his visor at the burning pain, was getting rid of the whitish gelatinous layer the cooled liquid left on his now heavily cracked plating with the aid of a couple of polishing rags and his own claws, but, with armor reinforced against hard impacts, his damage isn't as extensive as it could have been, thank Primus.

"Alright, we're done," the Air Commander finally says, voice soft and calm, although also tired, as he rests a servo on Soundwave's trembling arm. "There's nothing else I can do with what we have, but it should be enough to keep most of the dirt out of your internals. Try to refrain from strong hits, though," he adds, and, while the Cassette Carrier nods he doesn't move, trying to clear the echoing pain from his wiring and relax, so the Flier simply steps away, understanding. "Do you need help with that, Thrust?"

"Huh, yeah… I can't get to my back plating," the Conehead answers meekly, ashamed of what wouldn't be a weakness if he had his Trine, but too tired to refuse.

"Turn around."

By the time Soundwave feels like he can move again and onlines his visor, the two Seekers are cleaning their servos of the goo, the ruined polishing rags on a pile in a corner.

He gets to his knees slowly, Ravage purring happily as he presses against his abdominal plating and lets his carrier's servos roam over his frame to ascertain the damage is really mostly cosmetic.

"Query: Course of action," he asks at last, looking at his superior officer.

And his visor pales in surprise when he finally takes a good look at Starscream.

The Seeker is, at a first glance, the least damaged of them all, with only some dents sustained during the disaster in the alien kid's room.

But his wings are bent inwards, the tips most noticeably, though, seen from the side as Soundwave is doing now, it's too obvious that the previously perfectly flat planes are now curved towards the front, sporting their own dents and tiny bends of plating.

It must be extremely painful, but the Flier just looks annoyed and slightly tired.

And resigned, for there is no way they can straighten them in their current situation.

"We get out of here and try to find some way to return to Earth," the Air Commander answers simply, and the Communications Officer pulls himself together after a nanoklik.

"That isn't much of a plan," Thrust points out, a grumble without much bite.

"Do you have anything better?" the Seeker hisses, and the Conehead curls into himself a bit with a shake of his helm. "We're going to need the Autobots, if they haven't managed to get themselves caught too."

"The Autobots?!" the red Flier squeaks, as startled as the other two, but Soundwave tilts his head and nods after an instant of thought.

They're just four. The Autobots are five. Nine might not be too big a number, but, working together, they should be able to keep at bay creatures like that pet, and even the fully grown sentient aliens, although that last scenario would attract too much attention.

Plus, Perceptor and Starscream should be able to figure out some way to get them off planet at the very least.

And there's a reason none other than Megatron can fight Prime and come out with not too severe damage, and it isn't because their leader has ordered them to leave his Autobot counterpart to himself.

"Agreed," he answers after pondering all that, and Ravage nods in unison.

Thrust is still uneasy, but he soon enough relents too, grumbling under his breath.

"They left us to be scrapped by those aliens."

"And wouldn't we have done the same?" Starscream points out, and the Conehead finally falls silent. "Let's focus on getting out of here as soon as possible. We'll deal with those Auto-dweebs once we're out of the aliens' hands."

Ravage nuzzles into the servos Soundwave still keeps on his back plates, and the Cassette Carrier tenses at the pang through the bond.

And even more at the realization it isn't something affecting just his creation.

"Suggestion: Locate energy source," he speaks up, attracting two pairs of optics, one red and the other yellow.

"Yeah, I'm kinda in need of refueling too," Thrust pipes up, nodding, and Starscream grimaces.

"How are your reserves?"

"Ravage: 46.2%. Soundwave: 48.15%."

"I'm at 55.7%."

"Frag-tastic," the Second in Command hisses, and, startled at the curse, the Communications Officer tilts his head in curiosity, attracting the other officer's attention. "Skywarp made it up, so quit looking at me like that," he growls, and the dark blue mech straightens calmly. "Alright. Alright. Ravage, come over here," he finally orders, calmer, and the Bestial lifts his helm off Soundwave's thigh, startled, but, slowly, obeys. "Here, bite on the main line, get your reserves at least at 50%," he adds, baring his wrist joint, offering his own Energon to refuel them.

"Are you glitched? You can't do that!"

"I'm at 73.3%, _of course_ I can do that. Besides, Ravage is a Cassette, he won't take that much to get him at half his capacity," the white and red Flier answers with a tiny snarl, daring Thrust to protest again. "He's the smallest of us and an expert spy. He's going to need some charge if he's to be useful. So, bite. My nanites can close the line once you're done."

Conflicted, Ravage looks back at his carrier, and Soundwave finds himself pushed in a tight spot.

On the one servo, he wants his creation to be safe, and being able to run by himself, at the very least, will allow that. But on the other, refueling from an online mech is—

Visor paling in realization, the Communications Officer looks up at the Air Commander.

"Starscream: Experienced," he says simply, and the darkening of red optics tells him his assumption is correct.

Starscream is older than the war and the corruption, and, once upon a time, he had to deal with such dangerous environments and situations as they are in now, with only another mech by his side.

Many explorers are known to deactivate in the coldness of space, far from Cybertron, while the survivors always have some interesting tales to tell… or that they refuse to be known.

He suspects it was usually the other way around, Shuttles have far larger reserves of Energon, after all, but the Cassette Carrier doesn't doubt there would have been times when Starscream gave up some of his energy so that they could take off planet, even if that meant having to take a ride back to Cybertron.

So, deciding to trust such experience, Soundwave simply nods and Ravage bites down on the Seeker's wrist joint.

Not for the first time since they were put in the box, there's sparkly pink light illuminating their prison, though it is quickly dimmed as the Cassette clamps his mouth shut around the cut line to ingest the Energon flowing out of it.

It's a… bizarre spectacle, disgusting and horrifying to the Conehead, if his expression is anything to go by, but Starscream's calm and Ravage's relief are more than enough to keep the Communications Officer relaxed.

Soon enough, the Bestial pulls back, lapping at the Energon-stained wound so that his intake fluid coats it and blocks the energy flow as it solidifies, even if only for long enough for the repair nanites to do their job.

"Levels?" the Air Commander asks, resting his forearm on his knee with as little movement as possible so as to not jar the damaged line.

"51.2%," Ravage answers calmly, only returning to Soundwave's side after receiving a nod from their commanding officer.

And then, red optics meet red visor, and the Energon-stained wrist joint is lifted in an offering.

The Cassette Carrier recoils as if struck.

"Oh, don't give me that. Same procedure, at least 50%, and don't you _dare_ refuse. We're going to need your communications capabilities, and you _still_ have Cassettes in there to take care of, don't you?"

_Slag._

The Autobots and no few Decepticons may say what they want about Starscream, but the glitch knows what he's doing more times than it may seem so.

Soundwave could've easily refused the offer of Energon by simply pointing out the Seeker's flight capabilities will be needed too, and that he can still perform his function with just 48.15% of his reserves, but now he can't.

Because the Air Commander has struck at the only thing he can't nor won't blind his sensors to.

His creations.

Frenzy, Rumble, Buzzsaw and Ratbat are still in his chest compartment, and while they're safe and sound despite the damage to it, they are still linked to his systems, depending on Soundwave to keep functioning at their best, without the option of ejecting until their carrier is repaired.

With the self-repair queue he's dealing with, their future escape and who knows how many difficulties awaiting them, something as simple as slipping some Energon to his recharging Cassettes may become dangerous for them all.

Conclusion? He needs his levels lifted.

Meaning, he has to accept the Flier's offer.

"Starscream: Energy levels," he asks instead, fighting back the urge to just grab that arm and start ingesting Energon.

He knows he'll succumb to it, but that doesn't mean he won't take into account his fellow officer's needs when doing so.

"71%," the Seeker answers simply, and, without a second thought, the Cassette Carrier moves forward to kneel in front of the Air Commander, lowering his helm before retracting his facemask and biting on the pierced line.

Energon starts flowing almost immediately, warm and tingling with charge from the frame it's coming out of.

Keeping back a moan of bliss, Soundwave can only wonder if that is how his creations feel like when they refuel from his specialized lines while in his chest compartment.

A nanoklik later, as he finally notices the rise in his energy levels, he forces himself back to the present.

He has to look out not only for his own gauges, but for Starscream's too, even though he knows the Second in Command will push him away long before he can do any kind of damage.

As soon as his systems report reaching 50.3% of his levels, the Cassette Carrier pulls back, repeating the same licking routine of the Bestial to give the Seeker's self-repair some more time without losing too much Energon.

His mask is back in place even before he fully straightens, slowly guiding the blue forearm to lie on a white thigh, analyzing it intently to make sure there's no further damage than the tiny cuts already sealing.

"You could have taken more, you know," Starscream points out calmly, resting against the wall of the box and looking at the dark blue mech without any defined emotion on his faceplate.

"Negative. Suggestion: Prioritize location of energy source," he answers with the same seriousness, returning the look with slight defiance.

After all, they _do_ need his flying abilities.

And the Seeker knows it, for he simply nods and looks at Thrust.

"I'm fine," the Conehead rushes to reassure, lifting his servos as if to stop a blow, clearly unnerved.

"So be it. Let's be ready, our best bet… No, they will be expecting us to rush out as soon as they open the box," the Air Commander muses tiredly, and all the others look away.

Yes, they will. But do they have any other choice? After all, if it isn't as soon as there's an opening, they will be caught in those organic servos again, and who knows what will happen to them?

"Only chance: Try," Soundwave finally puts in, and the other three nod, knowing that as well as he does.

"Let's rest then. We'll strike together as soon as there's enough space for us to break out. Thrust, you will carry Ravage, I will take Soundwave," the Decepticon Second orders, and, knowing his lower energy levels will decrease slower with the smaller weight of the Cassette than that of his carrier, the Conehead murmurs an agreement.

And then, they all settle down to rest their systems and slow energy consumption, the Bestial curling on the Communications Officer's lap in search of comfort.

Now, all they can do is wait.

* * *

The drawer is dark and uncomfortably big and empty, so all the Autobots stay together, having gone out of their alt modes as soon as Inferno was tossed back with them and their prison closed.

There was a soft click not long after that, and they know they're locked in.

So, now they just sit and wait, wondering if their new ally will really be able to get them out of this.

"What do you think happened with the Decepticons?" Bumblebee asks, the question having plagued him for quite some time now, as he turns to Prime.

Optimus just looks back before humming under his breath.

"They're likely to be trapped, just as we are," he finally answers, and the Minibot nods before silence falls again.

"Do you think Aron will get us out?" the yellow mech asks once more, unable to keep quiet now that he's started.

"He seemed to like us well enough," Inferno replies this time, shrugging. "We saved his dollhouse from burning up, after all."

"Do you believe Starscream was trying to ask for a truce?"

Silence, and all optics turn to Perceptor in surprise.

The scientist looks them over before gesturing with one hand.

"At the dollhouse. He didn't shoot first."

"He blew up the Energon cubes!"

"_After_ we started shooting."

And Bumblebee tilts his head as he looks back on the event, how, startled by the Decepticon's sudden appearance at their backs, they had all opened fire.

"He followed us out too. If he wanted to avoid a confrontation, why not go away from where he'd come instead?" the scout adds, and the optics are on him this time.

"You may have a point there. Plus, the Cons were having their afts handed back to them," Smokescreen muses, looking at the ground as he taps his chin with a dactyl.

"Soundwave sounded pretty scared when he was being chased by Nitro," the Minibot whispers, shivering at the memory of that usually toneless voice crackling with fear.

"I would've been too, that must have been a fearsome experience," Perceptor agrees, shuddering with his plating fluffing out. "And Aron wasn't exactly gentle with them. Do you think they may be damaged?"

"Please, don't tell me you're worrying about the Decepti-creeps," Inferno cuts with a grimace. "They got what they deserved, and who cares if they're damaged? They're the enemy!"

"But we're all trapped on an alien planet where we're nothing more than toys to the natives," the scientist answers calmly, lifting a dactyl to accentuate his point. "Or food for their pets."

"You may be right there, Perceptor. Perhaps a temporary alliance until we return to Earth may be the right course of action," Prime rumbles, nodding as if to himself as he looks over his mechs. "When next we encounter the Decepticons—"

"If," the fire truck cuts almost morosely, and their leader sighs with optics darkening at such a possibility.

"_If_ we encounter the Decepticons again, we should try to reason with them before breaking out fighting once more. Perceptor, do you believe you may need Starscream's expertise?"

"I couldn't say right now, Prime, but for that very same reason I must say yes. Without even an inkling of how we're going to return to Earth, we need all available mechs. Soundwave will be useful too."

"And where Soundwave goes, Ravage follows. We could use Thrust's flight capabilities too," Smokescreen agrees, and, soon after, all Autobots nod.

"Very well. Should we encounter the Decepticons once more, and their joining us represent no danger, we must try to talk them into a truce," Optimus orders, and the others immediately answer affirmatively.

And then, their prison trembles and a click sounds from outside.

Prime lifts a servo to still them, so, when their drawer is pulled out and flooded with light, all the Autobots do is cover their optics until they recalibrate.

And, in that brief time, large organic hands grab them, slamming them together as they lift them and let them fall into a new prison, this time a transparent though strong box.

There are pained yelps at the impact and at having their comrades fall on them, and, as Bumblebee wrenches himself out from under his leader, he feels a flash of pity towards the Decepticons, because Primus knows how many times they were thrust into a box to land one over the other.

Another click, and the see-through lid shuts, blocking them from the outside world.

The being holding their prison is unknown, but the Minibot can see Aron and his parents standing at the side, another unknown alien taking the purple box the other Cybertronian are in from the female-like one's hands.

And darkness engulfs them once more as their prison is put, along the Decepticons', into yet another larger box for transport to who knows where.

Trying to keep his apprehension at bay, Bumblebee moves closer to Prime, and it isn't just so that the larger mech can help him keep his balance as they are moved around, but none of them comments on that.

After all, every one of them has moved closer to the rest.

The yellow mech wonders if the Decepticons are in a similar situation, giving the purple box a quick look.

It seems to take them an eternity for the movement to stop, only tense silence exchanged between them.

When the larger box is opened, two aliens reach for the Cybertronian prisons to pull them out.

The room is large, metallic.

Cold, sterile, ominous.

A laboratory.

"Optimus?" Bumblebee whispers, worried and trying to keep his fear at bay, and the servo on his shoulder plate tenses its grip a bit in reassurance.

"These are hazardous-unsafe," Aron's male-like parent points out, gesturing to the purple box, and only then does the Minibot realize the kid alien is there, held at bay by his mother's hands on his shoulders.

"We will watch over them," the authoritative one, wearing the same deep green uniform as the ones holding the Cybertronian, answers before gesturing for the boxes to be left on the table in front of him. "Request follow Yayan for purification."

And, to the Minibot's despair, one of the guards guides the small family out of the room, Aron giving the Autobots a worried look before the door closes behind him.

"Aw, slag," Smokescreen hisses, standing tense next to Inferno, both of them hovering over a worried Perceptor.

"Prime?" the yellow mech whispers once more, this time unable to keep his unease hidden from his trembling voice.

"Calm down. We may be able to reason with them yet."

The guard opens the Decepticons' box and is thrown on his back with a pained yelp by blaster-fire.

"Or not," the fire truck grimaces, watching the Seekers fly out of their prison while carrying Soundwave and Ravage.

Thrust fires at the apparent leader as he reaches for them, but the glove seems to protect the alien from the sting of his weapons, because he doesn't even flinch.

However, once airborne, Fliers are hard to catch.

That doesn't mean the guard using his beret as some kind of fly-swatter isn't effective in smashing them back to the table.

Bumblebee can't hold back his horrified cry at the crash, pale optics staring in disbelief as the Communications Officer stands tremulously over an immobile Starscream, only to be caught by a gloved three-fingered hand with a screech of despair.

Ravage immediately jumps to his creator's aid, the Seekers slowly getting to their knees with cracked plating and splatters of pink, but they're all easily caught and restrained, the aliens disregarding their pained and infuriated shrieks and growls.

"Prime—!"

But the door opens and the third guard comes back inside, and their chance is lost.

So, the Minibot can only watch in fear as the Decepticons are restrained to the table with tiny clamps on their wrist and ankle joints, how Thrust howls as the cracked cockpit inflicted by Ironhide back on Earth is finally broken—or was it before, back in the house, and they never noticed?—, how Soundwave's visor flickers as he's pressed on his pink-stained back against the table, how Ravage bites the glove-covered hand immobilizing him only to end with an Energon-dripping mouth as he's ripped off the cloth, how Starscream arcs in a silent cry as he's finally released to be chained to the table, his right wing bent and his left twisted in a poor mimicry of a lightning bolt.

"Optimus…" Bumblebee whimpers, shamelessly pressing against his leader, because these aliens aren't Aron, they aren't a kid that acts out of lack of knowledge and that would immediately claim to be friends with the Autobots just because they kept his dollhouse safe, these are adults, scientists, that intend to know all about them and won't be tricked by some carefully placed sounds.

And then, the scans begin, the sampling, and the yellow mech feels grateful that their captors seem so backwards in thinking, looking only at their frames and taking only the spilt Energon to examine, instead of prodding and pulling their specimens apart, no matter that they are Decepticons.

The leader leans closer with some kind of magnifying glass, and Starscream snarls.

"Get away from us, you green-faced fool!" he shrieks, words distorted and intermingling with static, and the smallest Autobot winces at the sound.

The alien chuckles.

"Spirited little creature-many, are they?" he simply says, and the Minibot whimpers.

They're just experiments.

Samples.

And when they're done with the Decepticons, the Autobots will be next.

He hasn't heard the door opening, but Aron's voice sounds suddenly from behind them, and Bumblebee hopes.

"What are they? Where did they come from?" the father asks with curiosity and worry, and _oh_, if only they could _talk_…

One of the green-uniformed aliens pokes at Ravage, and the Cassette twists his helm back as much as possible to try to bite the stick, roaring menacingly as he does so, but the scientist doesn't even look impressed.

"Good, we do-negative know. I believe we will have to cut them apart to know."

"No!" Thrust shouts, squirming as strongly as he can, along the rest of Decepticons, as the alien brings out some kind of circular razor.

"Cut them apart? You mean to cut them open?" Aron exclaims, as startled as the Cybertronian, and the scientist just nods.

"That-be correct. We have to discover-detect what motivates their behavior."

And the razor starts to spin.

"Optimus!"

But before they can act, there's a ruckus of voices and darkness around them as their box is shaken around—

Jostled by the movement and the crashing against walls and one another, the Autobots can only yelp and hold onto the first thing they can grab until the tremors stop.

When they look up, they see a grayish-yellow sky flecked with bluish and reddish clouds, a blue-green bush-like gigantic thing at one side, and Aron's face as his pink-clad arms hug their cage close to his chest.

They're outside. The kid has saved them.

And the 'bad' Decepticons were left in the lab.

"Male child, are we in distress now," the alien whispers, finally looking down at the Cybertronian as he moves to a more comfortable position.

Another voice calls Aron's name, and, with a jolt, the box is moved to be hidden at the kid's back as he nervously converses with the obnoxious newcomer.

As the alien is forced back by what sounds like a thuggish peer, the Autobots exchange worried and questioning looks.

There's a red-marked white oval thing almost against their cage with a flap-covered entrance.

Without an instant of hesitation, Optimus takes his riffle and shoots the lock of their prison, easily lifting the lid as he straightens so that the others can jump into the unknown.

Into a _trashcan_.

Alien world or not, it's easy to recognize garbage.

Walking carefully, they regroup, each asking what they're going to do now without exchanging a word.

The flap moves, and something falls down—

Tripping over who knows what, Bumblebee can only cover his helm with his arms with a startled cry—

Before being covered by some kind of… _goo_.

Shivering in disgust, he slowly stands up, brushing away as much of the gelatinous whitish substance as he can.

The flap opens again and all Autobots tense—

Only to recognize the face looking down at them as Aron's.

"You man-fellow-many satisfactory in there?" he asks, reaching with a hand to grab them maybe a bit more forcefully than any of them enjoys.

"Next time I hold a human, I'm going to ask if they're comfortable," Inferno grunts, trying to move his helm away from where Perceptor's shoulder cannon is pressing against it.

"Male child, are you lucky. That man-fellow would have set his foot on you free from doubt. Marty is the most nasty man-fellow in the universe," the alien continues, and Bumblebee and Smokescreen exchange an amused look.

"He's never met up with Megatron," the Doorwinger snickers, the Minibot soon mimicking him, to their handler's obvious confusion.

But that brings another, less funny topic back.

Because Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons and still on Earth, but some of his mechs are not.

They're back at the lab.

"Do you think the Cons are alright?" the yellow mech whispers, and the sad look on Prime's faceplate is more than enough answer.

* * *

**UPDATED 13/03/2017:** Corrected grammar.

* * *

**AN:** And we get to see things from the Autobots' point of view (not my fault it took so long, they didn't want to collaborate).

Yes, Aron's family was taken away for decontamination, though not for long. I thought it weird that they were allowed to stay and watch, but then I reasoned that maybe it was a way to quarantine them, just in case the Cybertronians carried germs or something (they say as much themselves).


	4. Iron Tag

The alien kid's outburst and running away with the Autobots has been a welcome distraction and an excellent way to get rid of most of the other natives.

But not all.

The lead scientist remains in his seat, letting out something like a tired sigh as he turns his attention back to where Starscream is struggling against his bonds.

He's not going to be able to get out.

Not on his own.

Growling silently, Ravage stretches his neck and bites down on the bonds of his right front leg.

The Energon filling his mouth has long stopped flowing, the cut as a denta-modeled piece of metal was broken and slashed the inside of his mouth small enough that wasn't too much to worry about.

However, his bonds are too tight.

He can hear the razor start to whirl again, and the Air Commander's pleas, but the alien scientist seems deaf to them.

When the shrieking of metal against metal fills his audials, shaking him to his very spark, the Cassette finds enough strength to rip off the clamp, half of his lower jaw breaking with it.

Not losing another nanoklik, he transforms to his biped variant, the minuscule changes of his paws extending into real servos and the change of angle between his hips and hind legs not catching attention, but allowing him to reach one of his guns on his hips with his freed arm and, bending painfully, shoot the alien right in the eye.

The giant jerks back with a yelp, razor thrown away from the quivering red and white frame, as Ravage destroys his carrier's bonds with a couple of well-placed shots before they make short job of the rest of the clamps keeping them down and go free the Seekers.

Thrust is visibly shaken, optics almost white in horror as he wobbles, his nosecone-shaped helm with a long fissure that makes the Cassette worry about his processor, and plating almost shattered by all the continuous crashes, but, while surprised at the black and silver mech's new biped position, he still recognizes him and the need to escape.

Starscream, on the other servo, only moans as Soundwave pulls him up to a seating position.

His canopy is gone, a fine golden dust mixing with the Energon covering his front, chest plates miraculously not completely broken through but cockpit ripped apart, sparks flickering dangerously from exposed cables.

With a menacing snarl, the alien rises again, one eye closed and bleeding purplish, and one hand held high and open, about to slap them against the table.

The Cassette Carrier pulls out his sonic cannon and shoots, and the scientist shrieks as he once more falls to the ground with a small quake.

In the meantime, Starscream seems to have recovered enough to start fiddling with his wound, and, when he sees shaky blue dactyls pull at broken Energon lines, Ravage realizes just what he's trying to do.

Quickly kneeling by his side, the Cassette starts tying up the broken tubing to stop the Energon loss and connecting those wires he knows go together while isolating the rest, earning himself a grateful pat on a shoulder plate before the Decepticon Second stands.

"Starscream—"

"It's not as bad as it seems," the Seeker cuts, voice filled with static and sounding weak, but, after a couple of wobbling steps, he seems to recover his balance easily.

And even then, Ravage has to wonder if the bent wings aren't giving him more trouble than the slashed chest plates and cockpit.

"Let's go, before that scrap-heap recovers," he hisses, glaring at the edge of the table, before picking a startled Soundwave up and taking to the air with a burst from his turbines.

The Communications Officer hangs on tightly, arms around the shoulder vents and helm with a pale visor, but there's barely no wavering once Starscream's airborne.

So, grabbing Ravage, the Conehead follows and, without a look back, they rush towards the slightly open doors, immediately rising higher to avoid unwanted attention or to be in grabbing range once more.

"There they are!" Thrust shouts, pointing at the running alien kid while holding the Cassette close with his other arm.

For some nanokliks, they just observe.

Until the alien trips as it turns to look at the guards chasing it—

And some tiny colorful beings fall from its servos right through the spaces of a grate covering a hole in the ground.

The grown-up aliens soon enough manage to get the kid up and away, so the Decepticons land next to the grate—

"Autobots: Located," Soundwave calls, despite none of the others seeing any—

Ah, there. Getting out of the liquid as fast as they can.

The Seekers don't fly down as much as they let themselves fall, turbines engaging just before crashing.

Blue optics quickly land on them as the Cassette Carrier and the black and silver mech get back to the ground, and, for a long time, nothing happens.

Until the Air Commander steps forward, front and legs stained pink with Energon, and Ravage makes a note to check those lines again in case one has reopened.

"Starscream," Prime whispers, startled at both them being there and their appearance, for he quickly looks over dents and cracks and Energon stains and the Cassette's bipedal position.

"I'm sure you will agree that this situation merits a truce," the Seeker answers simply, voice still flecked with static, as he opens his arms to gesture to the _sewers_ they're in.

One look around, and Optimus deflates.

"Agreed. Any ideas how to get back to Earth?"

"As many as you do," the Second in Command lets out with a sigh, tilting a bit to the side until Soundwave straightens him, and even then he's obviously leaning against the dark blue mech. "Any possible energy sources?"

"None either."

Slowly, the Autobots approach, but, even as tense as they are with their enemies' proximity, neither side attacks.

"Can I take a look at that?" Perceptor asks calmly, gesturing to the Air Commander's chest, and, after a piercing look, the Seeker nods.

With the red mech looking after their commanding officer and Soundwave and Bumblebee updating each other about the events since they last saw the other group at the lab, Ravage turns to Thrust.

The Conehead looks better now, but his slightly bent wings are shivering, and he seems to have to concentrate too hard to see the Autobots in the changed lighting.

The Cassette takes a step closer to him, letting his presence be felt, unable to do anything else.

However, the red Flier relaxing minutely at the move makes them both feel better.

"Prime, we have company!" the Doorwinger shouts, weapon drawn, and everyone tenses as they turn to the glowing yellow eyes of the tentacle-faced dark gray beast stalking them, sharp denta easily seen in its mouth.

Both Cassette and Carrier shiver and move away, the memories of the monsters chasing after them still too fresh.

"Attack at my signal! _Now_!" Optimus orders, and all blasters fire in unison as the creature jumps for them, sending it into the liquid with a pained shriek.

When it doesn't surface again, the Cybertronian lower their weapons.

"Hold it, guys! It looks like surf's up!" Inferno shouts, the rushing sounds reaching them an instant later, and the two Fliers straighten with loud curses.

"Climb in! Let's ride this wave to shore," Prime orders, taking hold of what look like open cans, and, grimacing in disgust, the Decepticons get into one and the Autobots in the other, no way the Seekers will be able to take them all to the surface in time.

And, as energy-preserving as riding in the cans will be, Ravage and Soundwave still cling to Thrust and Starscream, in case they need to fly away.

It isn't exactly an emergency, but, as their 'boats' fall down a tiny, in comparison, waterfall, the Seekers take flight, calmly landing on the rock where the Autobots have jumped to safety.

The sky is darker, planetary night falling, as they just stand there and calm down.

"Query: Course of action," Soundwave asks, bringing their attention back to their predicament instead of the stars over them, and red and blue optics exchange worried looks.

"I suggest we get back to Aron's house. He thinks of us as friends, and I believe we could convince him to trust you if you behave," Prime suggests, but despite the Decepticons sneering at the words, insulted, no one interrupts. "We could use his room as base of operations until we find a solution to this."

Unable to come up with anything better, the Second and Third in Command exchange a look before nodding, and their trek begins.

The planet's two moons are almost halfway to their topmost point, or what seems like it, and they've managed to scare away two of those feline six-legged pests with their combined shooting when they finally reach their objective, the alien kid leaning against the windowsill as it looks through a shiny white telescope-like contraption.

"Now, all we need is a way to get inside," Prime muses out loud, looking at the Decepticons.

"We can't get all of you up there in one go," Starscream points out, sizing the Grounders. "You and Inferno will have to be the last, you're too big."

"And that will insure our cooperation," Smokescreen adds, not fooled, and the Seeker gives him a sharp smirk.

"Of course."

"And why would _you_ come back for them?" the Doorwinger continues, glaring.

Carrier and creation exchange a look, and Soundwave steps forward.

"Ravage: Stay with Prime."

"It will do. Autobots, behave," Optimus agrees with a nod, and, after some grumbling, his mechs all resign themselves.

Thrust takes Perceptor and Smokescreen, hanging off his servos, while Starscream grabs Soundwave and Bumblebee, and, soon enough, they're landing next to the startled and wary alien kid.

From where they are, Ravage can't make out what they say, but the yellow mech hugging the Air Commander and the Doorwinger patting the Conehead's shoulder plate seem to be enough to convince the large creature that they're all 'friends' now, because the Fliers go back to the remaining mechs on the ground as the alien looks in awe in curiosity.

Climbing on Starscream's back as the Second in Command grabs Prime's servos, the Cassette finds himself feeling just how much the Seeker overheats at hauling such a weight to their destination while sporting the damage he does, and how his fans working overtime seem to have no effect.

Nevertheless, he doesn't let his worry show as soon as they're all finally on the table of the kid's room, but he lets his creator know through their bond.

Soundwave makes sure to stay close to the Air Commander, even after both Fliers fall to sit on the ground with Perceptor taking care of whatever shoddy repairs he can deal with.

The alien looks at the assorted Autobots and Decepticons in childish curiosity for a while, though confused at the pink stains of Energon all over the purple-branded mechs.

"Oh, wait! I know where I-be seen this!" the kid exclaims, startling them, as he moves to rummage through one drawer—

And pulls out the Energon cubes they had all forgotten about.

The cries of happiness are shared by both factions' members that time, as they reclaim the sparkly receptacles and share them, one for every two mechs.

"Utilizing the Energon cubes, and if we can modify this telescope into some semblance of transport beam, we may be able to get back to Earth!" Perceptor exclaims, looking at the shiny white metal, while Starscream also analyzes it pensively.

"Yes, I believe we could do that," the Seeker agrees after a moment, and, as soon as their refueling is over, all of them get to work, following the two scientists' instructions.

They move the chatter to comm channels after a bit, though, for the alien is leaning against the table, arms crossed with its head resting against them, deep in recharge.

When the apparently unchanged telescope is finally modified, the sky is lighting up again.

"Once activated, the beam will only remain for a short time," Perceptor tells them, seriously, and, after some nods, he turns to the control panel—

And freezes, optics pale and frame starting to shiver in despair as he turns to look at the sky.

"Something wrong?" Inferno asks, turning around to see what kind of danger they have to face now.

"I… don't know where Earth is."

And they all lock down, fear and defeat filling them.

"But surely you can find it, right?" Bumblebee pleads while the two Fliers exchange strange looks.

Serious, fearful yet determined, and, after some kind of silent agreement is reached, Starscream turns to the Autobot scientist.

"Could you triangulate its position if you knew where Cybertron is?"

It slams hard enough to make the Cassette take a step back, hope flooding his systems once more.

Fliers always know where Cybertron is.

Obviously having arrived to that same realization, the microscope smiles widely.

"I—Yes! Yes, I believe I could, if I had accurate enough data—"

"Thrust?" the Second in Command asks, and the Conehead wilts a bit under the pressure.

"Around there," he says simply after a moment of silence, gesturing at the paling sky. "I don't… My sensors aren't that good, and I'm not built for interstellar travel…"

"I'm going to need more than that," Perceptor points out, and both Fliers grimace.

"Around, huh… 257.000 megakils?" the Conehead answers, though his tone makes it sound more like a question, and the scientist waves his servo in a vaguely circular motion, indicating he still needs more data. "Moving towards… that direction," he finally adds with another pointed dactyl.

This time, the rest of the Autobots and Soundwave react, helping the red mech move the telescope so that it's pointing in what the Decepticon says is the right direction.

"What else?"

Thrust starts to fidget, nervousness, embarrassment and anger in his faceplate.

With a tired sigh, Starscream grabs him and pulls him so that both stand under the cannon of the telescope.

Curious, the rest can just observe as both Seekers look up at the sky, the Conehead's wings twitching softly, before he looks away with a grimace.

"Nothing else," he whispers, and a slow shake of Perceptor's helm tells him that isn't enough.

"Are you _completely_ sure you can get us to Earth with Cybertron's data?" the Second in Command hisses again, more forcefully this time, as he glares at the startled Autobot scientist.

"Yes, of course. But I'll need some more information, like a more accurate distance and location, as well as the movement vector to compare with our last readings and triangulate Earth's correct position—"

"Perceptor," Prime rumbles in a clear warning, optics offline as he rubs his forehelm in a human gesture of reaching for patience.

"Um, as much data as you can get me," he finishes meekly, and Starscream grimaces before looking up at the sky again.

"Stay back," he orders after a moment, straightening, though he clasps Thrust's forearm when the Conehead makes to move away. "Not you. I need you to catch me."

"Catch—?"

The shriek is short but loud, forcing all Cybertronian to dial down their audials and hunch down as sparks and Cybertonium dust fall from the joints connecting the Air Commander's mangled wings to his back, along a spurt of Energon, as the Seeker arcs with his faceplates contorted in agony, the other Flier barely fast enough to hold him as his knee joints bend—

And, with another pained scream of gears and cabling, twisted and bent once proud wings fall against the trembling Seeker's back plating, the lock keeping them immobile and their uncountable sensors almost completely muted disengaged.

_Oh, Primus…_

Ravage curls against Soundwave's side, not sure who is holding who upright, as they watch Starscream fight against the rush of sensory data, the plasma that must be scorching his wires and bombarding his spark at that very moment, unable to move or look away.

Slowly, with sparks still sputtering out of the joints as struts and cables move against bent plating, with Energon now a constant stream down red and white plating, the wings straighten, moving up and to the sides, jerking so badly that it's impossible to know if it's a reaction to the pain or a conscious movement.

And their comms crackle with static.

::256. 443. 813. 250 hectakils…::

They all tense at the voice, more a monotonous robotic drone than its previous high-pitched grating know-it-all tone.

::83 degrees of the planetary West, 16.5 of the North.::

Orders start coming from the comm with the Autobots, and they all get ready to move the telescope around, ignoring the now awake and confused alien kid staring at them.

::Moving South-Southeast at 833.6 kils per joor.::

"And taking into account Earth's orbit, the time passage and… Where are we in respect to Cybertron?" Perceptor calls, excitement turning into a grimace as he turns to observe the trembling Fliers, Thrust looking ready to suffer a panic attack and Starscream with optics offline and trying to stay active.

::28 X plus 78 Y minus 4 Z.::

"Move it this way!" he orders, and, without a word, they obey the scientist, carefully positioning the telescope. "Now, we need to get up to the lens. We need to be ready to jump when it activates."

"Aron!" the Autobot scout shouts, and, startled, all visual arrays turn to see him bouncing happily in front of the kid while pointing at the objective lens. "Up! Get us up!" he tells the alien, and, when it just observes in confusion, the Minibot rushes to grab a dactyl and pull until the giant obeys, letting its open hand rest in front of the two wary Seekers. "Everyone up!"

Finally understanding what Bumblebee intends, they all obey, Perceptor being the last to join them as he programs the telescope.

And then, with some reaching gestures towards the objective lens, the confused alien lifts its hands so that they're hovering barely below the trajectory of the ray that will take them to Earth.

"Inferno, if you please."

"Right on it!"

And the fire truck shoots at the short fuse next to the Energon cubes piled at the bottom of the telescope.

It ignites almost immediately and starts to heat the piece of metal they've put the cubes on, like a frying pan, the Energon inside starting to react and transfer to their modified telescope—

A beam of light shoots from the lens under them, and with Prime's deep 'now' echoing in their audials and the startled shout of the alien jerking back, the Cybertronian jump into it.

And their plating begins to boil as whipping winds slash them, and Ravage can only shout in pain and curl into Soundwave's embrace—

* * *

Five Earth days since the disaster at the baseball stadium, and no sign of his missing Decepticons.

If Megatron hadn't managed to get enough Energon cubes thanks to Prime's absence, and successfully sent them to Cybertron to make up for those lost, he would be in a really bad mood.

Scratch that, he _is_ in a really bad mood.

Prime may be gone, but so are Soundwave and Starscream.

The _Victory_ is eerily silent without them, mechs skittering around like scared solitary glitch mice, lost without their Commanders, and work is piling on Megatron's table at a fast rate.

Not to mention the depressed Seeker Trines and the Flier Cassette that barely ever leaves the warlord's shoulder plate.

Shockwave, despite the Energon boost, hasn't called them back with news of the missing officers, and the scans they have been conducting all over Earth, as well as automatic comm calls, have obtained no results either.

If this goes any longer, Megatron will _deactivate_ someone.

A beep as yet another scan pings completion, but the warlord pays it no mind, trying to decipher the report in front of him about whatever the Constructicons are asking for this time.

Slag it all, that's why he keeps Soundwave around! Or Starscream, in this case, because the list of materials is something that seems taken out of the obnoxious Seeker's voice box.

"We found them!" Spyglass shouts, and Megatron almost jumps out of his throne, Laserbeak exiting recharge at the sharp movement before starting to fly around with excited squawks.

"What—Where?!" the Decepticon leader thunders, rushing to stare at the screen, the map taking a nanoklik to be recognizable, but, as soon, as it does, the Slagmaker turns to the smaller purple mech. "Get Astrotrain ready!" he orders before rushing out of the bridge, the Cassette flying after him with happy chirps.

The Triple Changer is already waiting, along the two incomplete Trines, and, as soon as the tower rises, he transforms to Shuttle mode to allow them to board before flying to the given coordinates as fast as his engine allows.

Excitement fills the bay, but no one pays it attention, too busy with their own thoughts.

The flight is too long, the landing too rough, the braking too sudden, but the Decepticons just grumble as they get up from their fallen positions, and are out almost before the ramp is fully lowered, Megatron at the front.

As soon as he sees the missing mechs, lying in stasis lock at the lakeshore, the warlord freezes in place, optics paling in disbelief.

They're all scratched and more gray than colored, but the pink of spilt Energon dripping off their wet frames is too glaring bright, plating dented and bent and pierced and slashed, Thrust missing his canopy and with his reinforced nosecone-shaped helm cracked alongside most of the plating that's still attached to his frame, Soundwave's thrice-layered glass-metal cover on his chest compartment almost completely gone and back as full of holes as a pincushion, Ravage's lower jaw nowhere to be found and in his rarely seen bipedal variant, Starscream's chest plates slashed open from neck struts to pelvic plating and wings crushed and bent out of shape.

And, on the other side of the lake, equally scratched but in far better shape, the Autobots are walking out of the water.

His fusion cannon activates even before he can send the command, blazing optics seeing only Prime's large frame—

The roaring of interstellar-capable engines distracts him, making him turn to the Autobot Shuttle landing next to his enemies, more of those accursed glitches spewing out of the lowering ramp—

But the Weapons Specialist's gun is lowered by Prime himself, no longer pointing at the Decepticons trying to apply basic repairs to their newly recovered companions as they carefully take them inside Astrotrain.

The Autobot leader turns around, staring into Megatron's optics, and, for a short eternity, no one moves.

And then, as if of mutual accord, they both turn away from the other faction, getting into their respective transports and flying away as if the other party wasn't there.

Prime refuses to fight despite having the advantage of numbers, but the Decepticon leader doesn't bother trying to understand _why_.

He has more important matters to take care of.

* * *

**UPDATED 13/03/2017:** Corrected grammar.

* * *

**AN:** This chapter is named 'Iron Tag' because it's the name of the Tag variant where the base (gool, den, whatever) is when the player is touching iron, and, alright, Cybertronian and the ships aren't really made of iron, but the game's over and they're safe now, so it fit.

About the first part: It always bothered me to see two green-clothed aliens inside but only one pursuing Aron... only to find out the other hadn't remained with the Cons, but that it had simply vanished. So, I solved it. I actually didn't expect to go so far with things...

Also, the reason the Autobots ended in the sewers is because Aron tripped, instead of being urged there. Why? Because Aron sees them as animals, not real intelligent people, and you don't just tell a dog you've just found to meet you at your place a block away, because the dog won't understand a thing.

Ravage has only one alt mode, but his root mode, his panther mode, has two variants. Why? Because, come on, isn't he Cybertronian too? Besides, it's just changing the angle of hips and back legs and extending fingers that, as paws, were simply curled. That can't possibly count as a full transformation, right? Right. So, there, we have bipedal Ravage ^^ And yes, that means Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ratbat, Steeljaw and Ramhorn have bipedal modes too (seen _Beast Wars_? Doesn't that Ravage look like G1's Ravage standing up?).

Oh, and if you were a bit lost with all the 'Finding Cybertron' data, don't worry, I'm lost too and I'm the one that wrote it *insert 'I Don't Know What the Frag I'm Doing' face*

Well, that's it, _The End_. Nice having you all around for the ride!

... Actually, this isn't it. Due to some changes, there will be an epilogue. Well then, one more tiny chapter to go, I guess.

**Giddy:** Eh, no, the captivity wasn't so 'torturous', but, yet again, it wasn't realistic either (children's cartoon, after all), which is one of the reasons I 're-wrote' the chapter. And Screamer was being a selfish glitch again, 'cause he needs them all to get out, after all (though that doesn't mean he didn't do it because he actually cares for the other Decepticons, but, come on, who would believe _Starscream_ cares for people ;P). Thanks for everything!


	5. Checkpoint

When Soundwave reboots, it is to a well known and even more welcome purple ceiling at the _perfect_ distance from him, lying on a slightly larger, all-frame type repair berth, and with all of his creations surrounding him and looking down with worry and hope.

He needs no more than send a pulse of joy and relief through the bond for the Cassettes to break out into wild smiles and embrace him as tightly as they can.

"Hey, you! Don't you know what a pain it was to fix that? Off his chest compartment!" a known and annoyed voice bellows, and pairs of purple and lime green arms start pulling the smaller mechs off Soundwave despite their indignant cries, until they're all squirming in Bonecrusher and Long Haul's grips, Hook glaring at them as he helps the Cassette Carrier sit up. "Any problems?"

"Negative," he answers, gesturing for the two Constructicons to release his creations, who glare at the larger mechs but don't pounce back on him. "Query: Events after disappearance."

"The Space Bridge exploded, Megatron got glitching mad, we successfully assaulted two power plants and sent the Energon to Cybertron, and then Astrotrain was ordered to go retrieve you from a lake in Africa to drop your half-scrapped afts here for us to deal with," the medic deadpans, scanning the Communications Officer as he slowly gets to his pedes. "And that last thing was an Earth week and a half ago."

"Query: Others."

"Ravage was the first to recover and has been pestering us ever since, but it wasn't until Thrust _finally_ got his processor sorted out a couple days ago that we got more than 'ended on a planet with gigantic natives'."

"Query: Starscream."

"Over there."

And Soundwave turns, and feels his spark shrink.

The damage to chest and cockpit has already been carefully repaired, color nanites starting to cover the fixed plating, but the wings…

They've been pulled apart, only the myriad of wires and sensors still attached, spread on some slabs of metal to keep some semblance of their positioning in the actual wings.

"Scrapper and Scavenger take turns with getting the plates straightened or replaced, but we can't attach them 'cause Shockwave hasn't sent the replacement struts yet. The joints are the worst, though. They're a crushed mess, and it's hard to work with so many sensors around. The slagger keeps getting out of stasis lock if we work too long, they're _that_ sensitive, so we're repairing him on and off," Hook explains calmly, shrugging, and, despite everything, Soundwave feels relieved.

It may take some time to get him fully repaired, but the Constructicon hasn't said they can't do it.

"Starscream: Rebooted."

"Not fully, thank Primus. We're getting damaged enough just by having to deal with his battle protocols without listening to his shrieking."

"Query: Autobots."

No answer.

Slowly, the Cassette Carrier turns to the confused lime green mech.

"What about them? They came back when you did, but they've been less annoying than usual, lately. Though that may have something to do with the fact we haven't been raiding anything. We got enough while you weren't here, and Lord Megatron is being the patient type until you two are back to peak performance," Hook answers, gesturing between the Decepticon Second and Third, and Soundwave just nods.

And then, to the Constructicons and most of his creations' confusion, the Communications Officer walks to be by Starscream's side and rests a servo over a wrist joint, Ravage, once more in his quadruped mode, jumping on the berth to mimic his creator.

"Huh… Soundwave? What are you doing?"

Without answering Bonecrusher's question, the Cassette Carrier simply walks out of the Repair Bay with the black and silver mech next to him, intent on getting to the bridge.

Time to return the favor.

And what better way than to prod a certain Decepticon scientist about a package that should have already been on the _Victory_?

Ravage's loud purrs as he gets wind of his carrier's plan echo warmly in the perfectly sized corridors, and Soundwave allows himself to chuckle.

Earth, tiny Earth.

It's good to be back.

* * *

**UPDATED 13/03/2017:** Corrected grammar.

* * *

**AN:** Really short, but it had to be on its own, otherwise it lost the _The End_ feeling, and it didn't really go along with the rest of last chapter.

About the title: Why call the last chapter 'checkpoint'? Because a checkpoint in videogames is where the game is saved and where the character respawns after death. So, with that in mind, two reasons: The Decepticons 'came back' from an almost deadly experience, all damages fixed. And second, the story is never over, so it didn't fit to name the chapter 'Game Over' or something of the like.

So, this time, this is it, people. _Child's Play (We're Not Toys!)_ is over, done, finito (My first finished story ever... I'm so happy *tears of joy*). Thanks a lot for everything, and hope to read from you all again!

**Giddy:** No, I can't fault the good ol' cartoon, but as you said, a different view is nice too. Think of Starscream as you will, I won't be the one to tell you what he is and isn't ;) (Plus, I share your opinion XD). I'm happy to read that about Ravage, because that was my exact reasoning. Also, about the Cons looking like 'toys that have been played with too hard': Yes! You get it! That's what I was trying to convey, what I wanted to show! *bouncing around screaming* I'm so happy my cheeks hurt from smiling so much :D Thanks a lot for everything and I hope I'll get to read more from you!


End file.
